Family of slain fair trade center exec seeks justice for his murder

ILOILO CITY—The family of slain fair trade center head Romeo Capalla has appealed for justice and the speedy resolution of his murder.

In their first public statement since Capalla’s murder on March 15, his family also said his dedication in helping the poor would not be forgotten.

“The assassins may have cried out triumphant yelps as they fled the scene after giving my husband a final kick to make sure he was dead. They may have left behind a lifeless body. But they can never take away his legacy. His fire is in us and forever we will keep it burning,” Capalla’s US-based widow, Maria Corazon Gemarino, said in a statement.

Extrajudicial killings

Gemarino’s statement was read by Capalla’s eldest daughter, Pauline June, before about 300 participants in a forum on extrajudicial killings and impunity organized by church and human rights groups on Monday.

At least two persons repeatedly shot Capalla in front of the public market in Oton town, Iloilo province, as he was assisting his 91-year-old mother-in-law board his sport utility vehicle.

He died of two bullet wounds in the head.

Capalla, 65, was chair of the board of directors of the Panay Fair Trade Center (PFTC) and its general manager for more than 12 years. He was also a younger brother of Davao Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla.

An hour after he was gunned down, unidentified persons also burned a truck and other equipment of a muscovado sugar mill operated by a partner of PFTC in Janiuay town in Iloilo.

The PFTC helps produce and sell natural and organic products for local and international markets. It buys organic muscovado sugar and bananas at prices higher than the mainstream market from farmers, and exports these to fair trade organizations in Europe and Asia.

Murder rap filed

Police have filed a murder complaint against Julie Cabino and four other unidentified persons, but no arrests have been made. Investigators have also not determined the motive behind the killing.

No matter who the killers are, what is important for their family is that they are caught and punished, Pauline June said in an interview.

In a speech during the forum, Bishop Tomas Millamena of the Diocese of Iloilo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente pointed out that Capalla was the the latest among victims of the killing of activists and development and human rights workers.

He said most of these cases had remained unsolved.

The government just declares these cases “closed” when complaints are filed, even though the real culprits have not been caught and justice has not been given to the families, according to the prelate.